Wichita eagle., 1887-01-05

ago tall bunch grass stood in the upper North
Platte valley. The low, rocky hills were
covered. The spaces between the sage
bushes were occupied by punches of grass
The treelesS TANKS of the mountain ranges
were yellow with dried grass, which waved
in the wind. There was grass, and good
grass, everywhere throughout the valley.
Heavy crops Of hay were cut on the natural
meadows. Cattle, horses, antelope and elk
roamed through the valley from Hunters
ranch at the bridge over the North Platte
to fifty miles below Fort Steele. On every
creek which issued from the mountains pros
porous cattle growers lived in log houses.
The cattle were fat, and though the growers
always lied about the per cent. OF calves
they branded, it did not seem as though dis
aster were close at hand
Bat how IS it to-day? The valley Of the
North Platte, this famous grazing ground,
Is virtually a CRASHES desert. | have Just
returned from a trip through it and the ad-
jacent mountains, and 1 have never seen a
moro valueless region TO grow or hold cattle
III. The grass is tramped out by the hoofs of
thousands Of hungry and lean cattle, that
walked for months over the arid land in
search Of food They roamed for DAYS be-
fore they staggered close to the snow in the
foot hills and then they closely followed the
retreating snow banks into the down timber,
into the green timber, and finally on to the
summit Of the Sierra Madre mountains
VALLEY OF DEsOLATON.
While slowly driving down this gray
valley of desolation my comrade continually
assured me that there was good grass
III the foothills, and that the cattle which
gra2ad there were fat. We left the wagon
at Grand Encampmcnt river and took saddle
and rode into the foothills [ was strongly
impressed with the mheaIthfUl appearance
of the cattle. Their hair did not lie smooth.
There a peculiar stare in their eyes
which | had long ago learned to recognize
as f&toful The calves sucked the COWS fire.
quently and with nervous energy. The COWS,
almost without exception, were lean and
weak. The grass, scanty appearing to
eastern eyes at all times, had queer, strange
appearance. After riding few miles and
inspecting the grass from the elevation OF a
horses back, | dlsmounted and carefully
examined it, bunch after bunch, until had
inspected fifty lunches. The story was told
In no bunch which | examined were there
more than twelve stalks of this years grass
The other stalks, from twenty TO sixty TO
each bunch, were last years growth 1t is
grass from the poor. Three-quarters of the
food that the cattle, which havo grazed in
the foothills during the past summer, have
eaten consisted of the weather beaten RAIN
soaked grass of last years growth. 1t is no
wonder that they ventured far into the
mountains in search Of fresh and tender feed
Almost daily, while hunting in the Sierra
Madre mountains, L saw small bands of
cattle feeding in the mountain parks or in
the green timber These animals were
almost as wild as elk. They fed in the same
localities as the elk and bacltailed deer
did. | Judged from the frequency with
which | saw these small herds that there
were many hundreds of them in the noun
tains. What viii be the fate of these half
wild animals which We're grazing in the
lofty, pine clad highlands three weeks ago?
| unhasitatngly answer, not one in ten will
get out OF the mountains. Before this timo
they are showed III. Instinct, or may be
superior reasoning power, teaches game
animals to fly out of the mountains when
heavy snow storms begin to rage. Cattle
have not this instinct. They are almost
sure to linger too long in the highlands, and
there they die of cold and hunger The
nature Of the ground forbids their being
driven ont, and, indeed, the cowboys have
no heart to enter unknown and intricate
mountain systems in search OF these cattle,
as they might get lost themselves.
PITIFUL SIGHT
Ny hunting camp was pitched on the
eastern slope of the Sierra Nadre mountains
about two miles from the summit of the di-
vide Between it and the bare foothills was
O iackstrau-li&e tangle of down timber and
two wide belts Of green timber Il heavy
snow fell steadily all of one night Bcallz-
ing that the hunt was at an end, We packed
IN and Travelled down the rugged mountain
nanls. now in down timber, now in green
We passed many bands Of cattle that ran IN
all directions, excepting the right one, at
our approach. 1t was evident hat that they
had forgotten the trails on which they en-
tered the highlands in carly summer. These
cattle are sure to die this winter IN the
traelcsS foothills all the cattle which had
passed the summer there vera trailing for
the lower valley. TO the extent of vision,
both to the north aad south, short columns
OF cattle could Toe seen at intervals WaGinC
slowly through the SNOW. The next day,
curious to soc what the cattle would do
when tblv found there vas no feed ii the
valley rode to the lowlanjs. Before |
got to the base of the foothills | met cattle
walking up the mountain. They had been
down 10 the valley. aui finding no feed had
assembled tho hills, pre.erring to rustic IN the
snow rather than 10 staTvc in the snoWlcSs,
grassies, plains In the valley many hun
drcd cattle stood in line along the barbed
wire fences. OF at the banks Of irrigating
bitches. waiting until hunger drove them
back to the snovclaI foothills. Presently
ia. hev started, singly, in pairs and in family
u,olumns. and 10y night The valley was again
th destitute OF cattle. 1t was pitilul sight to
rs ;,, the Lun-ry animals rosoutely enter the
foothills ana The deep SHOW ii search Of food.
As il is in this valley 50 it Is in many
others net and talked with cattle grow
ors who craze their herds in the north,
in the south. in the west and on the
mains. and. with few exceptions, all told the
same story. That the native grasses on
closely Crazed grounds were almost extinct;
that the grass had been trodden out OF many
valleys: that other extensive areas h;'d ueeh
almost ruined 10y ovcrstocking, and that as
aster, serious and widespread, menaceS the
whole cattle growing stry west OF the
I0lst meridian.
h,y-a no doubt that the losses of cattle
now grazing on the ranges of high altltude
VIII lie sufficiently large this winter TO bank
,7,n+ many individual IS well rs associated
cattle growers. And it matters not what the
winter NAV prove to be, whether mild or
hard. the condition Of the grass on the range
sharulv indicates that large portion OF the
cattle cannot rustic through it. They are
doomed 10 die. There is but little good grass
east of the mountainS-tranH NlIheSoh III
New DIRK Sun.